LA developer charged in murder-for-hire case accused in arson plot

The charges related to real-estate developer Arthur Aslanian’s alleged outrageous, terrorizing conduct keep piling up.

Aslanian, who was charged last September with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder for hire, now stands accused of paying someone $2,000 to set fire to one of his properties in North Hollywood to get rid of his tenants, the LA Times reported.

The tenants at a rental property on Hartsook Street had accused Aslanian of harassing and threatening them to get them to leave, the outlet said, citing court documents. The tenants had complained that Aslanian had created a toxic environment — including mold, vermin and asbestos — in his rentals to illegally drive them out. 

The accusations were nothing new to Aslanian, who has been called a “slumlord” by his tenants, according to the Times, and has a checkered history at his various properties that dates back decades. 

Aslanian in early 2022 allegedly promised to pay a co-conspirator $2,000 to set fire to the building. 

The co-conspirator tried to burn the building twice — once in February 2022, which ended with the building being merely scorched, and a second time in March 2022, which ended with two vacant units being burned. 

Even after the fire, Aslanian continued to demand rent, the outlet said. The tenants ultimately filed a lawsuit against Aslanian in July; the case was settled in October, the Times said.

Aslanian’s attorney said Aslanian denies all of the allegations against him, including the murder-for-hire plot. 

In that case, Aslanian is accused of having an associate, Sesar Rivera, solicit an alleged gang member to kill a man — identified in court papers as S.E. — to whom Aslanian owed nearly $3 million. 

Aslanian also allegedly wanted a hit on an attorney whom Aslanian owed $220,000 in legal fees and expenses. The attorney’s firm was threatening litigation after a mediation had failed. 

Rivera, who agreed to cooperate with police, ultimately presented Aslanian with a fake photo of a bloodied victim assuring him that S.E. had been killed. Aslanian was subsequently arrested and charged by federal authorities.

Aslanian, who lives in La Cañada Flintridge, owns three adjacent plots on Hartsook Street in North Hollywood through a company, Andalucia Project, according to property records. He also owns other properties throughout the San Fernando Valley, including a modern apartment building a few blocks away, records reviewed by the Times show.

He has been in custody since January and has not yet been arraigned on the new charges, the Times said. A trial date has not been reported.

— Ted Glanzer